Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Visit one of the country's largest and most-visited urban parks in the heart of the city at Golden Gate Park. The rectangular park is home to numerous museums, lakes, a botanical garden and conservatory, landscaped gardens, and athletic facilities. Spend a relaxing afternoon exploring the Japanese Tea Garden, or tour the previous home of the San Francisco 49ers football team, Kezar Stadium. Pack a picnic to enjoy lakeside or on one of the park's shaded lawns. Due to the park's sheer size, 412 hectares (1,017 acres), you might want to plan to take a bus or free shuttle back to the city center after exploring the park. Work out when and for how long to visit Golden Gate Park and other San Francisco attractions using our handy San Francisco road trip website .

Beautiful green area with lots of hiking trails. Great for dog walking. The Kew Gardens replica is amazing with lots of beautiful plants. Stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and ocean.
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By Gamine1949On February 5, 2018

A wonderful day to spend a day or more enjoying nature with marvelous flowers, lakes and the unbelievable scent of eucalyptus as you go through it. If the weather is not good, you may stop in at the D...
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By Thomas VOn February 5, 2018

One of the best parks in the USA, fantastic design. This is a huge park and is full of all sorts of things, museums, lakes, arboretum, kids' areas, horse riding, and even some buffalos and windmills! ...
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Thank you to those individuals with the courage, dedication and forethought to preserve this beautiful park for current and future generations. People of all ages, races and physical ability were enjoying the views, the well-maintained trails and the smells from the salt spray and pines growing along the route. Many dogs were also frolicking happily, counting their blessings for having pet Moms and Dads that allow them to enjoy exercise and the wonderful outdoors. One brilliant, bigger breed had a vest on that also carried his water bottle and dish - bravo dog hiker! I was also happy to see that all pet waste was bagged and removed. I also noticed very little litter - leave no trace was evident on this day. One area of concern was a fence that had been knocked down - looked as if someone vandalized this safety feature. I hope volunteers or park authorities can repair the damage and keep this wonderful park in top shape. Several areas on the trail are quite strenuous, especially when encountering the stairs. Don't let that deter you. Get outside and soak in the awe and beauty. Take the time to let the memory sink into your subconscious. Take photos. Be kind to others on the trail. Go as far as you're physically able. Realize that you are free and there is no where else you'd rather be. For those in the know, true happiness is found on such a path.

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By Brant EgertsonOn March 8, 2018

Wow what an amazing park! We rented bikes at the Eastern entrance of the park, and rode for several hours. Sundays they close down JFK parkway and it is filled with all sorts of people!
Most car traffic is very respectful of non motorized traffic, but be aware riding on the streets as they don't have bike Lanes.
Pack a lunch and pop into one of the many secluded picnic areas.
Check out the dutch windmills at the West edge near the ocean.
Loved it!

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By Geoff LyleOn January 30, 2018

An amazing park! Enjoy the beautiful woods and lakes scattered throughout, check out how the bison are doing, or see the beautiful roses. There are two amazing museums (De Young, Academy of Sciences) near the East end of the park as well as a diverse collection of flowers in the Conservatory of Flowers and the Botanical Garden. There are always events going on and welcoming people playing music. Truly one of the best places to explore in San Francisco!

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By Colin PowersOn February 24, 2018

We went here to visit the academy of science, and later we walked around here a bit. It's a nice walk and there are some places you can visit that aren't really crowded. Shakespeare's garden is a nice little place to stop by. The only reason I wouldn't rate it five stars is because some places will charge to go in, sick as the Japanese tea gardens. I was just wanting to take a quick stroll, but it looks like they were trying to make a quick buck.

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By Nichole LarsonOn February 10, 2018

I love GGP! There's so much to do here and it's great for walking. The tea gardens and botanical gardens are both pretty but if you don't want to spend anything there's a rose garden to visit as well.
There are so many great places for picnics and lots of people running or walking around.
There's also an off leash dog area, a big playground and carousel for kids. There's even a fly fishing club and model yacht club!!...the fun just goes on and on!